Because we all need nature in our lives.

Why We Need Nature in Seattle

A sketch of a carpenter ant munching a millipede in a horsetail-forest.

Last Sunday after finishing a gorgeous hike in Seward Park’s old-growth forest, I passed a young family just starting out on the trail. Their little boy was bouncing along with that pure kid-joy that makes your heart melt just to see it. I smiled and said hello.

His mom smiled back and asked, “So…did you find any dragons in the forest?”

I noticed the boy’s eyes shine a little brighter and realized that for him, this was no ordinary hike. This was a quest.

“Yes,” I replied. “I saw them. But….they’re very, very, very small. You have to look real carefully to see them.”

I wasn’t making it up. Nature is full of mysterious and marvelous creatures. And if you are real quiet, and real careful, and if you tap into your childlike sense of wonder and let yourself explore, you will find them.

The forest is full of dragons.

This is why we started the Seattle Nature Alliance: for kids, for adults, for wildlife, and especially for the wonderful, creative, inquisitive, imaginative energy that nature inspires in us all. We enjoyed it as kids, and we want future generations to have it too. We think our urbanizing society needs nature now more than ever.

Just 1% of Seattle remains as natural area. Let’s keep it for everyone. (And for dragons, too.)

What are the threats to Seattle Natural Areas?

There is an organized campaign in Seattle to develop natural areas for “new uses”. It’s being vigorously promoted by active-recreation groups and their corporate sponsors, all of whom have an interest in opening up previously protected areas for new, nature-based sports like ziplining, mountain biking, dirt biking, and certainly, many more new sports yet to surface.

These sports are great in the mountains, but in Seattle, we have a lot of people and only about 1% of Seattle’s natural landscape that remains undeveloped. We are vigorously campaigning to keep natural areas preserved for passive recreation, wildlife habitat, and scenic beauty. We need nature for everyone, not for specialized-user groups.

Email: Parks, Seattle City Council, the Mayor. Tell them you reject the Parks Department’s “Supplemental Use Guidelines”. Tell them you want Seattle Natural Areas to be preserved for passive use, wildlife habitat and scenic beauty, and not carved up for specialized-user groups.